Red Heart
by sagebrooks
Summary: Lisbon's life is changed after Jane is shot and nearly killed. What if she never wants it to be the same-she couldn't live without Jane's friendship. Short, sweet one-shot.


Hey all! So this is just a short one-shot of Jane and Lisbon, just a sweet scene between them. I like reading the stories of Jane and Lisbon getting close, kissing, whatever, but it's not very consistent or realistic to their charcters, so my goal with this was to be consistent. I hope y'all enjoy! Please rate and review! :)

"Oh God, no."

Lisbon saw it happening before she could react. Patrick Jane was shot.

"Cho, get him!" she shouted at her colleague, and he took off toward the shooter. Lisbon dropped to her knees to examine her consultant of eight years. It didn't look good. The blood was seeping through his lower abdomen, staining his suit, and Jane was gasping for air. Lisbon quickly peeled the suit off of him.

"Jane, look at me," Lisbon pleaded, holding Jane's face between her hands and staring into his blue eyes. "Stay with me. Oh God, please stay with me." She lifted his head up with one hand and dialed 911 with the other. When the call went through, Lisbon dropped the phone and cradled Jane's head in her lap, trying to keep him conscious. Jane was distant, his mind was wandering, but he was still aware of the situation around him.

Oh the pain. The first thing he remembered was the pain before he fell to the floor. His world began to spin, but then his head was being picked up by Lisbon. The pain was blinding him. He could remember her soft fingers gently running through his wavy hair, and his head resting in her lap. He remembered her ripping his suit off and then attempting to clot the blood. Finally, he remembered a single wet drop falling onto his cheek. One single tear from the woman who couldn't be broken—Teresa Lisbon.

Patrick Jane could remember nothing else from that time until he awoke in the hospital. Lisbon was there with him every single day, until the day he was released, expected to have a full recovery. That evening he was discharged, Jane drove himself home to his tiny apartment and heated up a TV dinner. Just as he sat down, there was a knock at the door.

"Hey," Lisbon said, a small smile appearing on her face when the door was open to her.

"Why, hello," Jane greeted her, stepping back to grant her entrance. "Please come in."

Teresa Lisbon stepped inside, looking around his apartment. "I don't believe I've ever been in here before," she commented, glancing around the kitchen.

"Stop," Jane said, causing Lisbon to turn around and face him.

"Stop what?"

"Oh, my dear, we both know why you're here, and it's not to examine my place of habitation," Jane commented. "You're here to make sure I'm taking it easy, not overdoing it, to make sure I'm okay. Well Lisbon, I can assure you I am. Thanks to you," Jane added.

Lisbon nodded, blushing just the slightest. "Well, you're right, Jane. That is why I'm here. And you know I would save you. I couldn't very well just let you die right in front of me."

"Ah, yes, Lisbon. You need me. Because I am useful to the team."

Lisbon hesitated before answering. "Well, yes. That you are."

Jane motioned with his head and hands. "Yes? What else were you going to say?" He was only halfway teasing her.

Lisbon sighed. "You know, someone who looked a lot like you once said to me, 'I consider what we have a friendship.' Well, that's what friends do. They help each other."

"Ah," Jane sipped his tea as he walked into the kitchen to fix a glass for Lisbon. "But my dear, dear Lisbon, friends would just stop there," he said to her with his back turned, facing the tea kettle as she was sitting at the table. "You however," he said dramatically, taking a seat across the table from her and handing her a cup of tea, "didn't. You held me to keep me alive, you kept my blood flowing by tearing my suit off, which I'm still trying to decide if it was a life-saving attempt, or a chance for you to finally see me unclothed," at this Lisbon blushed, "and you cried over me. Oh yes, I felt your tear." Lisbon was blushing furiously now.

"What do you want Jane? What do you want me to say to that, huh?" Lisbon questioned.

"Oh I want you to tell me what that meant," Jane replied, taking another sip of his tea.

"Jane, you're reading too far into this. It meant exactly what I said it did—we are friends and I would do anything to save you."

"Aha!" Jane set his teacup down and pointed at Lisbon victoriously. "You didn't say you'd do anything to save me before . . . you merely said you would help me."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, I don't know," Jane responded. "You tell me."

"Fine," Lisbon sighed and crossed her arms. "It means I care about you, Jane. It means that in that moment you got shot, I would have done anything to keep you alive. I would have taken that bullet myself, and I wanted to. It means that if I had lost you that day, if I lose you any day, I'll, I'll lose a piece of me. Jane, you drive me crazy sometimes, and yeah, there are times I want to strangle you. But I never, ever want to lose you."

The two were quiet for a few moments. Jane was studying Lisbon carefully, Lisbon was staring off into the living room, fighting back tears. Finally, Jane stood up and walked over right in front of Lisbon's chair.

"Stand up," he said simply.

"Why?" Lisbon asked cautiously.

"Just stand up," Jane repeated.

Slowly Lisbon stood up, facing Jane, only inches away from his face. After a few breaths, Jane enveloped Lisbon in his arms. He wrapped them around her waist, catching Lisbon completely off guard. She wasn't much for hugs, but sometimes it was nice to receive them, from someone she truly cared about. So she wrapped her arms tightly around Jane's neck, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Jane moved his hands up and rubbed her back, as a tear fell off her face and onto his jacket. A single tear. Jane ran one hand through her long, dark hair, sending shivers down her spine. He pushed her head closer to his chest, so close she could hear his heart beat. Lisbon closed her eyes, her heart dancing at that sound.

Jane whispered almost inaudibly in her ear, "I'm here right now. Shh, nothing is going to hurt me anymore." This only made Lisbon grab onto him even tighter, burying her face in his shoulder.

Finally, after a few long minutes, Jane released her, and looked into her eyes. "But Lisbon, someone will hurt you."

"What do you mean?" Lisbon asked, confused.

Jane sighed heavily, taking the teacups to the sink. "I care about you, Teresa," he said, using her given name. "All those things you said about me, that's how I feel about you. You're the only person I trust, the only person I truly, completely, love to be around. But as far as anyone else knows, I'm your consultant, you're my boss, and you can't stand to be around me. I take joy in messing up your plans. Listen to me," he said, grabbing onto Lisbon's arms. "We have to keep it that way, we have to make sure people know we're strictly business, and no one can know we're really friends. Because the second they do," Jane lowered his voice to a whisper, "Red John will find you. And if I lose you, I'll-I'll lose a piece of myself."

Lisbon nodded, wrapping her arms gently around Jane's waist. "Okay," she said, pulling her coat around her and walking to the door. Jane followed her. "I really am glad you're all right," she added, turning around. Jane nodded, smiling.

"You know, you could have done a better job picking out a coat. Green, really? How about red, green is grouchy and depressing," Jane said, in a teasing way.

Lisbon shook her head, smirking just a tad. "God, Jane, I hate you," she responded, flipping her purse over her shoulder. "I do, I hate you."

The two stood staring at each other for a few moments, half smiles dancing on their faces. "I hate you too," Jane said sheepishly, causing Lisbon to break out in a grin. "Oh, and by the way, yeah, thanks for saving my life."

"Anytime," Lisbon replied, twisting the doorknob and pushing the door open. She slowly took two more steps so she was just a few inches away from Jane's face, and reached up and tenderly kissed him softly on the cheek. She allowed her lips to linger just a little longer than necessary, enjoying the feel of the stubble against them and the heat from his face. When she broke away, Jane was blushing. "God help me, Jane, I care about you."

Jane nodded, smiling. "I know," he tossed her a wink.

"See you at work next week."

"Oh, I'll be there tomorrow," Jane said.

"Um, no you most certainly will not! You will rest that, do you hear me?" Lisbon argued, gesturing toward his abdomen.

Jane grinned. There was his Lisbon. "Oh loud and clear, he responded, opening the door wider and gently pushing her out. "See you tomorrow, Boss."

"Jane, I—" But the door was already closed. Jane smiled, his back firmly against the door. Slowly, he reached up and touched his cheek where Lisbon had kissed it. "Can't keep me away," he said to himself, walking into the kitchen to finish his dinner, a smile dancing across his lips.


End file.
